Cotton picker



July 5 9 3.927@

a-:L'Nf BERRY COTTON PICKER Filed may 15, 192e 4 sheets-sheep@ lNvENToRf1. Ber/3y- ATroRNEYs WlTNEsss i wams@ july 5 9 m27 H. N. BERRY' YCOTTON PICKER Filed'may 13, 192e 4 shams-sheet :a

INVENTOR WITNESSES i12/ MEQ/'3.

,A /f l y ATroRNEYs H. N. BERRY COTTON PICKER July 5 1927.

Filed May 13, 1926 4 sheets-sheet 5 NVENTOR WITH ESSES a a an Y. w a DD.n

H. N. BERRY COTTON PICKER 19.26 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 13 1bn/EmeaTORN EY S Patented July4 s, 1927.

UNiTEDsTATE/s PATENT-ferries.

.mmm N. EEEEY, or GREENVILLE, Mississirri.

COTTON' PICKER.

- l Application led Hay 13, 1926. Serial No. 108,927. 1

My present invention relates generally to i cotton pickers, and moreparticularly to cotton pickers of that type described and claimed in myPatent #1,530,151 granted March 17, 1925, wherein the picking apparatusincludes a pairof laterally spaced picking'cylinders, each provided withradially outstanding picking fingers. Since the etticiency of such anapparatus depends to some extent upon. there being -a great number of,

In my patent above referred to I proposed the useof a series of needledriving shafts within and around each cylinder, each shaft being gearedwithin the cylinder to a series of picking ngers both vertically andhorizontally, since it would not be possible to provide vwithin thecylinder a number ofvertical shafts equal to the desired number ofvertical rows of picking fingers.

Furthermore in my patent above referred i to the upper ends of theneedle drivin shafts above the cylinders were provided with pulleys, andthese pulleys were en gaged by certain portions of driving belts soarranged as -to permit of engagement and disengagement of thepulleyswith the 'belts during the rotation of the cylinder, since it is onlydesired to rotate or drive the needles during their passage alon theinner or adjacent portions or sides o the cylinders.

According to m present improvements, I provide for the rivingiorrotation of the needles through connections including gears always inmesh, and I do away with the belts and pulleys, each of the verticalshafts of the cylinders being provided with automatically engageable anddisengageable clutch elements whereby the driving of the needles orngers through constantly engaging gears maybe easily and efficientlycontrolled, so that the lingers or needles will be driven or rotatedduring only thef-delsired .portion of their revolution withfthecylinders.- f

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates my present invention andforms a part of this specication:

Figure 1 is a top plan view illustrating certain portions of twocylinders, and a portion of the frame of the cotton picking apparatus,embodying my present improvements Figure 2 is a detail verticalsectional View through the upper portion of one of the cylindersillustratingy the connections proposed by my invention;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail top view of one of the cylinders, partlybroken away to expose the connections proposed by my invention,

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view illustrating certain oftheconnections proposedl by my invention, and,

Figure 5 is a similar view of one of the vertical shafts with its partsin detached relation.

Referring'now to these figures, and particularly to Fig. 1, I havegenerally indicated a pair'of cylinders 10 and 1 1, mounted in thevertical laterally spaced relation shown within a frame, includinglongitudinal supports 12, and rea-r axles 13 connected throu h adifferential 14 to a driven shaft 15. This driven shaft may be actuatedin any suitable manner and in practice is' usually driven by an internalcombustion engine mounted upon the frame of the apparatus as in mypatent above referred to. Certain of the longitudinal supports 12 of theframe havebearings 16, in which the upper ends of uprights 17 aresecurely fastened. These uprights are disposed axially vof the cylinders10 and 11, the latter of which revolve in practice around the uprightsa'nd are provided for this purpose with ring gears 18 around their upperends engaged by spur gears 19. Each of the gears 19 is .secured upon thelower end of a shaft 20, rotatable. in the bearing bracket 21 andprovided at' its upper eii'd with. a bevel gear 22 en aging bevel gear23 upon one end of a sha t 24, all as plainly seen by a comparison ofFigs. 1 and 2. Each shaft 24 -has thereon pulley 25 connected by a belt26 to apulley 27 disposed u on and in clutched engagement'wit one o theaxles 13. before mentioned. Each shaft 24 is furthermore extended at itsopposite end through a bear'd los ing 27 in a portion of the hood 28above its Y Lesa-ier tionary plate 42,'so as to effectively clutchrespective cylinder and is provided within,the gear with the shaft,especially in view said hood witha bevel gear 29.

'Each hood 28, as best seen in Fig. 2, has

a lower plate 30 which is disposed tovform' a cover for its respectivecylinder and it will be noted from F ig. 2 that each hood 28 is securelyfastened to the upper end of the respective upright 17, so that it isthus held against rotation.

Within each cylinder is fixed a head block 31 which is revolubly mountedupon the upright 17, preferablyA by means of anti-friction bearings 32,this head block having at spaced points therearound bearings 33 for theseveral vertical shafts 34, the latter of which drive the picking4fingers vor needles 35 through' gearing including bevel gears 36.

By reference to Figs. 4 and 5, it will be noted that each vertical shaft34 not onlyv drives the vertical series of fingers in line therewith,but also the two vertical lines of fingers or needles upon oppositesides thereof, the needles being connected together 1n series of threeby virtue of spur gears 37, vof which the central spur gear has a bevelgear 38 engaging one of the bevel gears 36 Aof the correspondingvertical shaft 34.

vThe vertical shafts 34 project above the head block 31 and are thereprovided with spur gears 3-9uloose thereon between upper and lowerclutch disks 40 and 4l, the latter disposed betweenthe lower surface ofgear 39 and a plate 42 rigidly connected to the shaft. v

r1`he gears 39 of the several shafts 34 are 'in constant mesh withalarge spur gear 43 revolublymounted on the upper portion of the axialupright 17, and having at its central portion an upstanding hub '44 tothe upper end of which a bevel gear 45 is securely fastened. This gear45 meshes with the gear 29 of shaft 24 before mentioned, so

that power is'in this way transferred from' the shaft 24 throughthegears 29 and 45 to the. spur gear 43;"aiid from the latter to thegears 39 of the several upright shafts 34 within each cylinder.

Above the upper clutch disk 4() of each shaft 34 .there is looselydisposed upon the shaft a spring cagel 46, the lower surface of which isadapted for engagement with-` the upper clutch disk 40 and thus formsone clutch member of which the stationary plate 42 constitutes theyother clutch member.

'Within therage 46 a spring 47 engages the.

base of the cage at its lower end and has its upper end in engagementwith a collar 48 securely fastened to the upper end of the shaft 34within the tage,V and inthe normal position of the parts therefore thecage 46 is pressed downwardly by the tension of spring 47 so that theparts are held in the clutched position with the gear 39 securelygripped between the base of the cage 46 and the stainder. At its innerportion each yoke 51 has an angularly projecting arm 53 provided at itsextremity with a roller 54, the latter adapted for engagement with anarcuate cam strip 55, which is securely fastened against the undersurface of the lower plate 30 of the hood 28, by'means of upstandingbolts 56. It will be noted from Figs. 1 and 3 that these ,bolts 56upstand through slots 57 of the top plate 3Q, and it thus becomesobvious that the cam strip 55 may be Ishifted to control the clutchingand unclutching of the several shafts 34 during revolution of thecylinder.

As the cam strip is shown positioned in Figures 1 and 3, it is obviousthat the several shafts 34 `will be clutched as they approach the innerportion of the cylinder during revolution of the latter, and will beunclutehed as they pass along the outer portion of the cylinder wherethe cotton is taken off of the needles or fingers.

Thus from the foregoing and while the de; tails of the connections Aandparts as above outlined may be varied Vto some extent, it is obvious myinvention presents an effective and efficient means for actuating thepicking fingers or needles in thel desired manner constantly meshinggears, sothat there is no necessity for rapidly rotatingv parts to beVmoved in the operationf'of the apparatus in-r to and out of engagementwith one another. ln'operation, as'the rollers 54 ride upon one end ofthe cam strip 55 the respective yokes 51 will be rocked during thedownward shifting of the angular arms 53 and this operation raises'thefingers 50, engaging'ggm the upper fianges 49 of the springjfcage's 46so that these spring cages will besliifted upwardly against the tensionofthe spring 47 to the released or unclutched position shown at theright in Fig. 2. According to my present construction the parts arereadily accessible, can be easily reached, and will be strong, durableand eective in userl lf claim means for revolving the cylinder, astationary axial post on which the cylinder is journalled, a series ofshafts journalled verticallyl 1. 1n a cotton picker, a pickingcylinder,

portion of the cylinder and in constant mesh Withthe said upper gears ofthe several' shafts, meansl upon the upper portion of each /offtheshafts for clutching its said gear in connection with the shaft andincluding a controlling spring, gearingfor rotating said upper gear ofthe cylinder, a stationary top,H plate closing the top of the cylinderand cured to said post, and means controlledjby the top plate forshifting the gear clutching means of the several shafts into and out ofactive position. V

2. In a cotton picker, a picking cylinder, means for revolving thecylinder ony a verti- 'cal axis, a plurality of picking fin ersradiating from the cylinder therearoun, a series of vertical shaftsjournalled withinv and around the cylinder and havin@r gearedconnections with said picking fingers, gears loosely mounted upon theupper portions-of the several shafts in' the same horizontal plane,clutch meansfor securngcsaid gears in connection With the shafts,including a.

clutch member movable on each of the shafts, and a spring normallyholding said clutch member in active position, a clutch throwout memberfor each of said shafts, a stationary: post axially of the cylinder,means lfor rotating the said shaft gears including a rotating gearmember journalled on said post in the upper portion of the cylinder andin constant mesh with the several shaft gears,

and a stationary top member for the cylinder forming a cover therefor,to house and protect the rotating gear and the several ,'clutches andclutch gears, said' top member having means for automatically shiftingthe said clutch throw-out members into and out of active positionduringjrevolution of the cylinder. y

3. In a cotton picker, a picking cylinder having an upper ringear, astationary aXIal y,post on which said cy der revolves, a pluf rality-ofpicking fingers radiating from the upper portion of the cylinderl onsaid post and in constant meshv with the several shaft gears, a verticalshaft at one side of the cylinderhavinga lower gearengaging the ring Igear of .thecylinden a horizontal driven shaft above the cylinder gearedat one end to the upper endfof the vertical shaft and in gearedconnection at its other end with the said master gear, a stationary topplate forming a cover for the c lindel" to house and protect theclutch,.an an arcuate controlling element stationarily arranged on saidtop plate and in the path of'movement of the. said clutch throw-outmembers Whereb y the latter will be shifted into and out of activemovement during rotation of the cylinder. -A

HIRAM N. BERRY.

